One of my favorite bits from WoW where the third party factions that were made of predominately two Red / Blue races.
The Tauren and Nelf Cenarion Circle was the best example and I kinda wish it was kept that way.
Not out of some desire for ethnic purity in my tree huggers but because I always interpreted Darkspear Druids as more akin to the manimal witch doctor types you fight in Zul’Aman.
Hell I RPed mine as a Revantusk who was basically the Predator, because those Balance spell effects reminded me of this;
Just never pictured her roaring in three simultaneous animal screams while ripping off a Dwarf’s head because ya know, really passionate about ecology. Granted that was also an excuse to justify this sound playing in my head.
Man Predator is so fing cool. What was I talking about?
Oh yeah so it seemed like the Argent Dawn was going to be the Forsaken X Human one. But that sorta turned into a rainbow coalition. To the point of being a bit weird. Like Belves, Dwarves - absolutely. But why tf do Night Elves and Orcs give an airborne fornication about the Light or Lordaeron?
Like a couple, sure. But it’s strange they now outnumber the undead, yeah?
Anywho I’d like to suggest a new one made of predominately Forsaken and Worgen. Gnomes and goblins can come too for reasons that’ll become clear but THAT’S IT.
I’d call it the Department Of Inhuman Services. And they’d have this sort of vibe;
If you’re familiar with it you probably won’t be surprised to learn I adore the SCP Foundation. It is the best work of collective writing since the Bible, and you may quote me on that, sir or Madame.
If you’re unfamiliar it’s basically the Men In Black but with the sort of unhinged creativity you can only get by asking the planet’s population of dorks what they think is scary. I’m personally responsible for a relatively popular SCP and the glory of it is I can’t prove that and you’ll never know if I’m lying. Hence why it’s pointless to even mention the number. I’ll just hint that as an addict nothing scares me like inkspots in your memory.
Anywho back to the topic.
The Forsaken and Worgen are the most resistant to magical mind control and shadow shenanigans. And gnomes and goblins can develop the black helicopters, balaclavas and overly complicated looking goggles they need. Ya know the ones. There’s like six optics and the combination of that with the face mask and helmet so thoroughly dehumanize the wearer as to make you go;
“Wait isn’t the goal to de-escalate the situation? Why do you look like the love child of a spider and a Star Wars death trooper? If you came through my door wearing that I’d do everything in my power to set you on fire”
But fantasy is called that for a reason. It is the genre where we can use concerning things for fun because let’s be real, ish is rad. Like I can’t deny I’d be super concerned if the authorities patrolled a free speech zone with golems and armored velicoraptors, but ya gotta admit it looks cool when the Zandalari do it.
And I figure their birth could come out of N’Zoth’s corruption the subsequent Scourge invasion.
I’m just imagining Worgen and Forsaken exchanging confused looks as their comrades start clawing their eyes out going;
“Man this was pretty mild. You - don’t have voices in your head telling you to do bad things? Just us?”
And then they bump into eachother three months later because Vagamal the Darkcaster or w/e did his job description and covered the area in inky darkness. And like Tauren or Draenei are completely losing it. Retreating, firing blind and the Worgen and Forsaken are just effortlessly wrecking zombies.
“Man did we really used to be that reliant on sight because you-”
“Can just rely on your ears! I know right? Man I’m on my third pair of eyes. If these get destroyed I don’t know if I’m buying another pair. I figure ones pretty useful but unless you’re killing stuff at a range one just works fine”
“And they’re always on about your sense of smell. I’ve been dating this human, dog lover, ya wouldn’t believe how weird they are with us. I keep telling her I’m not trying to be rude but the stank coming off her - On your left!”
“ Good looking man! And I’ve been living with Orcs for months man. They keep telling me I don’t need to breathe so why should I care. Well I like to smell. Just because I can turn it off doesn’t mean you’re objectively being gross. Who keeps their laundry that close to - watch your six!”
And I’m going to stop this fan fiction before it turns into a short story because I really want the Forsaken and Worgen to have a;
I’m a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope and they’re both weird Europeans with scary glowing eyes. I couldn’t stop yelling “KISS HIM YOU FOOL” anytime Greymane and Blightcaller interacted.
But I do genuinely believe there’s precedence for the Forsaken and Worgen, with diminutive fire support of course, seeing how utterly incompetent even the Kirin Tor are at securing world threatening baddies and deciding to do it themselves.
And as they’re monsters themselves I feel like they could use mote than force.
Like I’m picturing Blood-Princess Thal’ena breaching containment and being surrounded by Knights and Wizards that suddenly drop dead as gas grenades detonate and a bunch of operator looking Forsaken and Worgen storm in.
But rather than lighting up the place they throw her a megaphone and start talking.
"I - I don’t want to hurt people. I’m just so thirsty and it never stops. The thirst only passes briefly and I always wind up here:
“Look at us. Look at us. We don’t know your cravings but we’ve our own. Please, don’t make us hurt you. We won’t put you in a cage. We’ve people who can help you. We can’t promise you’ll be free again. But we can promise you we’ll work as hard as you can so you might be”
And then we see Thal’ena cautiously stagger out to be revealed for what she is. A piss terrified eternal teenager who’s only real crime was having a mom that dragged her to Northrend on an ill planned crusade.
Does that suddenly vanish all personal responsibility and the entirely valid suffering of her victims? Absolutely not. But killing her or stuffing her in a 4x4 cage wouldn’t somehow correct that. Injustices are not solved by more cruelty.
DIS lies often, but not in matters like this. They won’t keep her in a cage. They will keep her out of society by all means necessary but they do genuinely want to help her.
And also you could have their containment breaches surve as a Violet Hold esque dungeon with a cavalcade of villains.
Idk I really just love the idea of werewolves and ghasts being made even scarier with the language of modern paramilitary nonsense.
And while they’re capable of “Burn the Church, no survivors” levels of cruelty their main M.O is not just bumping back against the things that go bump in the night. But helping them no longer be monsters if they can. With the sort of learned experience that’s only possible if you too have thought to yourself “Humans are such easy prey”.
So what do yall think? Sorry I was more rambling than usual on that one.
